Lord, God of Heaven, of Earth, of Hell!

Omnipotent of all that dwell

    In them, and in them is;

With penitent and painful sigh,

In deep contrition, Lord, I cry

To Thee, great God! O Thou, most High

   Heal my infirmities.

Evening and morning, noon and night

My burdened soul a sorrowing sight

    Bleeds ‘neath a chastening rod:

No pleasure, mirth, nor happiness

Lights up my heart; blind heaviness

Of what, I know not! wretchedness

   Obscures me from my God!

What have I in rude rashness done

To blur and blot my morning sun

   And darken all my life?

What have I, in my youthful rant,

Once sown, that now is grown a plant

Of bitter fruits, while devils chant

    Hell-hymns to cheer the strife.

Wrought in my soul? – the inward war –

Darkness impenetrable, far,

    Unpierced, – unsightly, cold!

No glimmer of some kindly ray;

No power to clear the hellish way;

No light; no path; nought but dismay

    Threat’ning my heart once bold.

Thou are the Only who can hear,

Answer and grant the contrite’s pray’r

    And richest blessing give!

Then, Lord, illumine my dark soul;

From off my heart this burden roll;

And let me reach the happy goal

    Of life! and reaching, live!

John Nathaniel Samuels-Belhoder, 1935

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But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.